Kholodno
by kaya's window
Summary: China cannot understand this chilly feeling that has taken over his normally healthy body. Turns out it deals with more than conventional circumstances. Will the British nation who delves in magic be able to help? Will Yao let Arthur help…?  UK x China
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I disclaim my possession over any of the characters that appear in this story (not because I want to, pooey)

Hello, this is kaya. I am not normally a fiction writer. I will write, however, when desperate times call for it. And we are in desperate times, people! (I am just pulling your leg. When you get to know me, you will realize I am just one big joker, so feel free to stop reading and scroll straight to the story. Otherwise, keep reading if you wish to be amused…) Anyway yes, this is DT, people! It's DT because Hasegawa, a main source of Iggychu fiction will be too busy to write in the coming months (Poor Hasegawa~). This doesn't mean we won't get anymore England x China fiction. We have many other lovely writers out there, but it doesn't change the fact that we'll have one less source! And my fav source of Iggychu smut at that! (0A0 Ahhhhhh!) So in order to save myself (and maybe save some of you) I will do my best to churn out fiction for the tea couple. (Noo, I am not brave enough to write smut yet…) Oh boy.

Pairing: England x China

Rating: T

Summary: China cannot understand this chilly feeling that has taken over his normally healthy body. Turns out it deals with more than conventional circumstances. Will the British nation who delves in magic be able to help? Will Yao let Arthur help…?

* * *

Kholodno

China got out of his bed after a long morning of trying to go back to sleep. A shiver ran down his spine. That was the reason why he couldn't get enough sleep. All through the night he felt a chill throughout his body that he never felt before. It wasn't a particularly cold night and he wasn't one particularly weak to the cold. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to will the feeling away.

He stood up, a bit wobbly, on his feet, and then slowly made his way through the morning routine. When he reached the dining room, his sibling and students were already there.

Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan were animatedly engaged in mid-breakfast. Yong Soo and Mei did so while seated at the large round table and chatting at a pace too fast for the groggy Yao to understand. Kaoru was also seated beside Yong Soo, quietly listening to the conversation. The eldest nation frowned. Eating with the mouth flapping away was bad manners. He was about to scold them when Yong Soo took notice of his presence.

"ANIKI!" the Korean beamed as he got out of his chair to reach Yao, "What happened to you? We waited all morning for you to wake up."

Yao looked at his brother who now donned eyes wide with concern. It was true. Yao was rarely one to wake so late. It was usually he who waited at the kitchen with a full meal prepared for the younger ones. He shook his tiredness away and replied, "I couldn't sleep last night -aru…"

All three younger ones raised their brows in mild surprise. Yong Soo slapped a hand on his shorter yet older brother reassuringly and said, "You should have told me. I would've been happy to share my bed with you, Aniki!" Yao brushed him away with a now annoyed look on his face, but the Korean simply got behind him and began pushing him towards the dining table.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Hong Kong asked as Yong Soo pushed the elder nation by his seat. Yao turned around and gave the boy a small quick nod and smile.

"Did you get enough rest, sensei? Would you like me to call Kiku-nii? He made a few neat inventions that may help you sleep better," Mei said as Yao was seated down beside her. Japan, who normally would've made the suggestion himself, was on a business trip.

Yao shook his head. "Don't bother. I don't need a machine to help me sleep," the stubbornly old-fashioned mentor replied. He gazed at the ample plates of food on the table and turned to Mei, "Did you make all this, Mei?" he said, a grin slowly forming on his tired face. "Yes, sensei," the girl replied, "Yong Soo and Kaoru also helped."

"I see," the elder nation nodded as he observed the sloppily chopped pieces of vegetables mixed in with immaculately chopped ones. Kaoru and Yong Soo both had sheepish grins on their faces. Yao took a set of chopsticks and picked up a piece, then placed it into his mouth. The look of the dish was lacking but the flavoring was okay. He gave out a few laughs then stated happily to his anxious sibling and students, "Looks like the young ones in this house are more capable than I thought -aru! Good job, Mei, Kaoru, and Yong Soo." As he said each of their names, he looked at each one and each returned with a smile broader than his own.

"Yay! Aniki congratulated me!" Yong Soo popped up from his seat, arms raised in victory.

"No, he was congratulating me!" Mei popped up beside him, "I did most of the work!" She proceeded to pull down his arms of victory with all her effort. Kaoru got up on Yong Soo's other end and did the same. "I seriously am not going to let you take all the credit." The three fought until Yao scolded them. The meal went on smoothly afterward and Yao soon forgot all about his weariness.

* * *

"Sensei, are you heading out already?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes," Yao replied as he fastened the last few buttons on his Chinese-styled jacket. "It's a meeting with America, but it would be disrespectful to be late -aru." He was referring to the American's habit of starting his meetings later than the proposed time. Yao shifted about to adjust his jacket and slipped a hand beneath it to pull out his ponytail. "I'll be back soon."

Yao turned around to look at his beloved student who has now grown taller than him. Each time he noticed this it reminded him of how quickly time passed. It also reminded him of all the time he didn't get to spend with the child. But nothing will dispute the fact that he was proud of the way he turned out. He gave the boy a smile and the boy did the same. Then he waved goodbye and headed out the door.

* * *

End of prologue

Just a little note: The title is the word for "Cold" in Russian (or that's what the internet says). As such, this is a big hint that Russia will be involved in the future somehow. I thought using it would give the story an element of the unknown since this does deal with magic later on.

Wow, I'm so excited~ I haven't written fiction in such a long time. This is kinda fun! Please don't scrutinize my fic for historical accuracy because I'm not a big fan of history. Also, don't scrutinize for grammatical accuracy. Not a good English student either… I will try my best though!

So how many of you like England x China and do not know there's a livejournal community shipping it? Join it for the goodies. I can't post links here so google "kouchagumi" and it will show right up!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own them…now bugger off! ;_;

To all the people who read the fic: Thanks for the interest everyone! I will do my best to bring about an interesting story (with lots of Iggychu-ness why of course!).

To Emmy: How 'bout if you keep writing, I'll keep writing? :D

To Hasegawa: (lol, still can't remember those passwords I see^^) Please do not knock yourself in order to praise me. I adore ADORE your writing so much words will not describe. If it is your grammar that you're self conscious about, I don't care about that at all (I'm not a good English student, remember?). It is the way you set up your character interactions and your ability to craft an interesting story with many details that amazes me. Now I will stop licking your shoes so you don't have to feel self conscious XD Anyway…you can imagine Yao wobbling (after stepping out of bed) and Iggy trying to help him up as Yao shouts, "this was your fault, ahen"… hehehe, Hasegawa you perv~ Er…in terms of the energy of the story…I haven't written the rest of this yet so your guess is as good as mine. Though knowing myself, moments of funniness will bound to appear somewhere…

* * *

Kholodno

Yao shivered as he stepped out of the UN building. The conference with America proceeded in the usual amount of time, yet today it felt like it took an eternity. Yao blamed the air conditioning that was blasting away inside the meeting room. It was hard enough to concentrate on Alfred's mindless babbling and on top of that he had to concentrate on keeping the cold off his mind.

He had asked for the temperature to be adjusted, but a few degrees higher on the thermometer did nothing to stifle the chills. Also, he had felt sorry when he saw America fanning himself after the new temperature was set.

'Ugh,' Yao shook his head. 'I'm not so weak! This must be an anomaly.' He took larger strides in hopes of raising his body temperature with more movement. He looked up and saw his chauffeur with the car door open. The door led to a deep dark cavity that looked cold and uninviting. Yao took a step back involuntarily and waved a hand at the driver. "I need a walk. I'll call you when I'm done –aru"

The man nodded and Yao headed off into Manhattan.

* * *

Yao waited at the intersection impatiently. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine for the twentieth time since he left the UN building. He felt angry and frustrated at the same time. Angry because all around him, civilians were donning short sleeved shirts and tank tops and frustrated because normally, a vigorous walk of two kilometers would've warmed him up. 'Sitting still for so long must have chilled me to the bone,' Yao thought.

The walk signal appeared. The people started to move. Without looking up, Yao followed the rhythm of the pedestrians around him. He hadn't crossed half the street when a familiar blond patch of hair suddenly flashed by the corner of his eyes. Yao closed his eyes. 'Oh no, was that who I think it was?' He tried to continue across the street as if he didn't notice anything, but a voice called out.

"Wang Yao?"

Hearing his full name called out, he knew he had no choice but to turn around and the person he saw was exactly who he thought it was. England stood there with his cocky wide eyes and his cocky raised eyebrows. Yao grimaced. "I'm busy –aru." He turned away so fast his pony tail flicked behind him, but footsteps thumping behind him indicated the other country was following him.

"Now what's with that attitude, you git?" He heard the words in a strange tongue sound behind him. "Believe me, I wouldn't have anything to do with you if I didn't have to,"

"But, you have yourself a hex there."

Yao continued his way down the unnamed street but his pace slackened as his curiosity piqued at him. He stopped and turned around. "What do you mean?" Curious golden eyes connected with unblinking emerald ones. "You don't know what a hex is, don't you?" Bushy brows came down into a 'V' as the corners of the Brit's mouth turned up. Yao immediately began to look at the light pole, the store sign, anything except those annoying green eyes.

"A curse. A spell cast by magic," Arthur explained dismissively with a wave of his hands.

Upon learning of the meaning of the unknown word, Yao laughed incredulously. "Ha! And you expect me to believe in that stuff -aru?"

Regretting that he had lent an ear to the insane, Yao hurried back down the street, but the Brit followed him. The Chinese figured if he kept ignoring him long enough, the man would lose interest and go away like annoying little children do. However the Brit appeared more persistent than usual. "Astounding", "what intricateness", he occasionally heard from the voice behind him.

Knowing the man from past experience, Yao knew he wouldn't go out of his way to stay near him so that left one reason for the persistency. The shorter man stopped and turned around for the third time. "You really know what you are talking about, don't you… –aru?" Gold once again connected with green. Arthur gazed intently yet his eyes were not really focused on his, but something else. It was as if the man can see something that he couldn't see.

The thought sent a shiver down his spine, a particularly strong one that stirred him into alertness. He suddenly became aware of the blurriness along the edge of his vision…

"I'd say," Arthur finally spoke. A finger was reflexively placed along his chin and his neck craned to look at something interesting. "This must be one of the most powerful hexes I've seen in a long time!" He continued looking at Yao's perimeter at things that cannot be seen. This action would normally tick the Chinese off but Yao was occupied with something else.

Yao noticed the chilly feeling that he had had turned into something else. It was now more than a feeling but a certainty that gripped at his very bones. He suddenly noticed the loss of feeling in his limbs. He looked up and realized how dim his vision had become. He remembered the feeling. The last time he felt it, his country was close to meeting its demise…

* * *

End of chapter 1

I was trying to write it like a thriller… so how successful was I? :D

The weather in my area has just changed from summery to fall-like. I am so not used to the temperature drop. Which means this is perfect weather for getting into the groove of the story. And that means I better get out the rest of this while the feeling lasts!

A little note of interest: The UN building and its surrounding area is considered as a different territory from the rest of New York City. That means it has its own laws and stepping into it will be similar to stepping into another country! (And what I just told you is completely unrelated to the story, lol) I can't help but wonder what it will be like to commit a crime in there. I wish I knew about this earlier, because I was lucky enough to have had the chance to tour the building. Knowing that would've made the experience that much more exciting~ …now somebody go do it and tell me all about the charges! XD

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I disclaim my ownership over these (irresistibly lovely and adorable) characters.

To all who are following this story: I see you are still reading. Thank you~ I promise to make this worth the time ;)

To Emmy: Looks like we have a deal (pinky swear and promise to drink a thousand needles + whatnot~ :) and the same for your story. Keep it up!

* * *

Kholodno

"…hey,"

"Wang Yao!"

Yao snapped back into reality from Arthur's calling his name. He had been unresponsive to the Brit for the last couple of minutes. His mind had drifted away, away to the faces of his siblings and students back home. He stared up at concerned green eyes. Yao tried his best to compose himself.

"…sorry," he mumbled. "What were you saying again -aru?" He felt embarrassed for letting his guard down around the man. He had sworn to never become vulnerable to the former empire again. Yao suppressed the flush that was creeping up his face and looked to his side.

"I said," Arthur began with a note of exasperation, "that I'll need to go back for my grimoire before I can remove this."

"What?" Yao said incredulously, "That's too much trouble. I don't have time for that -aru."

Arthur had a serious look on his face. Yao knew to some extent how dangerous it was to refuse his offer. He knew his life was in danger. He can sense his control over his being slowly fading away. However, he had too much pride to openly accept the man's help. 'If only it was someone else,' Yao thought fleetingly.

Arthur gave a loud sigh. He turned away and reached two fingers to his temples. Yao refused to believe the man was saddened by his inability to help him, but was rather disappointed that he lost an opportunity to play with magic. Yao felt a small spurt of energy from the silent victory. He spun around and walked down the rest of the street.

The two had walked a long way. They were already at the edge of the island. Yao only needed to take a few dozen steps before he reached a bench overlooking the East River. He sat down unceremoniously. His body was tired.

"What are you doing?" The Brit appeared in front of him.

"Waiting it out," the Chinese said with a dismissive wave. With a glance upward, he caught the quizzical look on the Brit's face. "If," he continued, "this was meant to kill me, the person would have done so in one go –aru. Why waste time on a curse with slow effects? This won't last long –aru."

There was a short silence then a small laugh. Arthur clapped his hands. "Well done, Wang Yao." The frown on his face was replaced by a smile. "You are right." He walked over and sat down next to Yao.

"This mid level spell will not kill you. It probably won't last more than a day."

The news came as a relief to Yao. He had been worried about the length he'd have to wait.

"Still, I'm surprised," Arthur continued, "I've never encountered a person who would choose to wait instead of receiving help that was offered…" He said this contemplatively while staring out into the river which was now beginning to glimmer in orange and gold. Yao followed him and gazed out into the gentle waves. It helped calm his senses and keep him awake. A smile crept up his face.

"Are you sure you're not the one who gave me this curse –aru?" He spoke in a surprisingly playful tone to the man he usually kept guarded to.

"If I did, as you have said, I would have killed you in one go," Arthur replied just as playfully. Of course, Yao had expected the answer because he would have done the same.

The two grinned and seemed to relax. They continued staring at the colors dancing on the river. Neither spoke a word nor made a move to leave.

Yao had his knees to his chest and encircled by his arms. He was thinking to himself how not so unpleasant it was to have the former enemy sitting beside him. The trivial words they were exchanging were keeping him awake. He had almost forgotten about the cold and tiredness he was feeling. He tried his best to hold back the smile that wanted to form on his face.

* * *

End of chapter 2

What? The chapters are short? Don't complain~ :D

Another build up chapter~ We'll get to the good stuff soon. Very soon… Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this fic

To everyone reading this: Hey, you're still here!

To Emmy: Sorry for the wait but I'm not a super cool writing machine like you ;) If we must compare, I'm like an old beat up typewriter~

England x China fans, this is the part you've been waiting for! This chapter is extra long just for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Kholodno

"So why are you in New York anyway -aru?" China asked.

There was a pause. The other man was hesitant to answer. Finally he replied.

"I was going to meet up with Alfred after his meeting."

England said this while looking away. China didn't need an explanation to understand that the plan didn't go well. The silence carried on, an indication that the man was sulking. Yao let out a sign.

"What a stupid man –aru."

Arthur spun around. "What did you say?" he fumed, but he calmed down when he saw the expression on Yao's face. Yao was not grinning like he usually would when carrying that remark. Instead his features were solemn, almost sorrowful. Golden eyes were staring into the water reflecting gold.

"This isn't like the past when you can just go there to visit them and they'll be waiting for you –aru," Yao said almost in a whisper. Arthur let the words digest in his mind. He nodded slowly, but he knew the other wasn't looking. The Brit followed the Chinese. Green eyes gazed out at the river letting gold reflect into them.

The two were lost in thought. With the melancholic expressions on their faces, those were most likely sad thoughts of the past. Though they said nothing to each other, there was a sign they felt comfortable sitting next to each other. The former enemies were sitting side by side with lax shoulders and unengaged faces. It was amazing how sympathy can connect people.

Time was passing by peacefully until all of a sudden, Yao felt a shock run through his body. He immediately doubled over. His arms were involuntarily brought up to his chest, a small effort to reduce the chill that was trying to take over his body.

"What's wrong with you, Wang Yao?" He heard the Brit say with panic in his voice.

Yao couldn't respond. He felt cold, so much colder than before. He wanted to grab at the back of the bench for support but instead caught the wrinkles of England's shirt.

"What are you-," the Brit was about to respond with annoyance but stopped to notice something. It was as if he was reading over the smaller man for the first time.

"Your hands are ice cold."

Arthur was looking up and down. He saw things that Yao couldn't see. The green eyes were wide with shock at whatever unknown he was seeing and they caught notice of the bundle of clothes the Chinese was outlandishly wearing.

"Yao, are you freezing up…?"

Yao wanted to open his mouth to respond, but the constant clattering of his teeth made it impossible. The Brit did not seem to be expecting an answer anyway. His shocked expression was replaced with a serious one. He looked as if he finally came to understand everything that was going on.

"It seems I was wrong," he began slowly. Yao was still huddled before him but he knew the Brit understood that he was listening. Arthur continued.

"It's not a simple curse. This is pure black magic with an effect to carry out gradually."

"It must have been done by a high level sorcerer. I've never-"

He stopped. Yao looked miserable. Shivers racked the small body. Arthur's eyebrows drew up into a look of compassion. He didn't realize what he was doing but his instincts just kicked in. And without warning, his arms encircled the other into a warm embrace.

The moment he felt the arms wrap around him, the chill that was mercilessly attacking him disappeared. China looked up to see a very shocked England staring down at him. However, neither made a move to remove oneself from the other.

"I..I...," Arthur began. "It's not like I'm doing this for your sake." He stuttered. He looked completely confused along with panic as he seemed to search his brain for the right words to say. Yet, nothing came out of either mouth as green continued to stare into golden.

A passerby looking at the two would've thought they were lovers sharing a simple embrace. In reality, there were a million thoughts flying around their heads unspoken.

China wanted so badly to break away but the warmth of the embrace was something he hadn't felt all day. It was physically comfortable and all mental discomfort no longer mattered. It was lulling his tired body to sleep. England was no longer wearing an expression of shock. He was quietly examining him. He finally spoke.

"Why didn't you let me help you, baka-" his tone carried a note of annoyance along with a bit of concern. "If you had let me go back for my grimoire this wouldn't-"

Yao just wanted to rest in peace. He quickly responded to quiet the man. "Because I don't trust you -aru."

The words seemed to do it until the silence was broken again. This time the Brit spoke with an angry tone, "Are you still hung up on the past?" When Yao heard this he realized the other had understood it in a different way. He had meant to say he didn't believe in his silly magic.

"Look," Arthur said, frustrated. "I'm not saying what I did was right, but in those times and situation…" He trailed off. A bit of uncertainty was lingering in his voice. He let out a frustrated sigh. "You would have done the same…" He mumbled the last few words as if not expecting the other to hear.

Yao was tired. He was too tired to think critically or access his thoughts according to who he was talking to. Instead he opted to accept the words objectively and came to a conclusion. "I guess," he nodded. His eyes were already half-lidded from sleepiness but the gold reflected a mind that was sound and awake.

Arthur stared at him. His jaw dropped and closed and dropped and closed, but no words came out. He seemed shocked at how many times the smaller man had been able to surprise him in one day. Yao was never one to give him an easy time especially when conversing over this topic. Arthur would've normally taken that reply and ran with it with his ego but today was not normal. The gold seemed to lull him into pondering with more compassion.

Yao had not given that response carelessly either. He had imagined himself as a formerly vast empire, with all the riches in the world and many lands to command. Then one day it all changed. The land he had was suddenly lost. Panic overcame him. In desperation to regain his former glory, he decided to use any method. Even if it meant taking advantage of another…

There was a long silence. The only movement was a slight gripping of fabric on the Chinese jacket. England looked out into the water which has darkened. The gold had mostly retreated leaving behind sparse specks. He finally spoke.

"But I was responsible for weakening you and for what happened between you and Japan…"

The voice was shaking. China felt the knuckles tighten behind his back. He languidly pushed himself to look up into eyes shut tight. 'Was he pitying him or was he truly sorry?' the thoughts vaguely ran through Yao's mind, but he knew the answer. He remembered watching his people running south into Hong Kong. England stood there by the border. He accepted the refugees openly as he guarded Hong Kong with effort. The expression on his face was one twisted into sorrow.

Yao lowered his head. He was not one who would praise others openly, but today was different. When he looked into the face with bushy brows and green eyes, he didn't see England. He just saw a man who made some choices he seemed to regret and a man who tried his best to do the right thing.

He looked up again and told the other. His voice came out to a whisper.

"You protected Hong Kong."

"You kept him safe."

"And you brought him up well."

"I'm so proud of him -aru."

Without his knowing, a smile had crept up to his lips. Golden eyes were opening and closing from sleepiness. When he focused them again, Yao found himself looking into pools of green. There was a deep expression etched on the other's face, but Yao found his mind too cloudy to understand what it was. He didn't bother to decipher it. He felt too tired. The whole ordeal of dealing with the chilliness had worn him out. He hadn't been able to relax since yesterday. Even then, it felt like such a long time ago. Right now he felt warm and comfortable in Arthur's embrace. He began to drift asleep.

"I was hoping I would become someone special to you."*

He heard the other say after a long silence. Yao's eyes focused and unfocused, trying to recall who he was talking to. Instead, he remembered an energetic young man who wanted to trade with him. The green eyes were brimming with ambition, but there was a regal air about him. Many other nations had asked the same but Yao never accepted their offer. This time, however…

"So did I -aru."

Yao heard himself replying. Vaguely, he felt his head shifting on Arthur's shoulder. When he had started leaning on it, he didn't remember. He looked out through opening and closing eyes. Each time they opened, he saw Arthur's green eyes and every time they did, the eyes seemed to come closer until they became all that he saw. He felt a hand tilt his chin and a very warm feeling on his lips. A burst of warmth passed through him from where their lips connected and that was all Yao needed to drift away into a blissful slumber.

* * *

End of chapter 4

Some notes:

*Taken from OmangoOlemonadeO's fic, "Smoke". I'm not even going to hide it. I stole that line. According to the author, "I'd like to think I'm special to you" comes from the Treaty of Nanking where it states that Britain was to become the most favored nation in trading with China.

* * *

So…I hope this was satisfying enough for you Iggychu fans. It was very satisfying for myself, fufu. I somehow twisted a not-too-ooc Iggy into kissing a not-too-ooc ni-ni without any slapping involved :D (you should congratulate me! no, don't point me to the loopholes _)

The story is not finished yet, but I'll be taking a break from writing for about a month or so (I'm waiting for the temperature to go down again. nah, I'm just kidding! it's pure personal business~ hey, be grateful I'm leaving it here with the kiss!) There's still some mysteries to cover like who's the uber-leveled spell caster that did this to poor ni-ni. Tune back in later this season to find out! No, I will not be posting it as a separate fic so fic alert people, you're good to go. See you all later and thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own them! ;_;

To those of you reading this story: Thanks for joining again! The story will now continue. Just a bit of warning, from here on there will be more ooc (like there wasn't any before!). You will find the characters drifting farther away from what Himaruya-sensei set up. The reason being the goal of this story is to bring Yao and Iggy together! Long live Iggychu! On top of that, we will be delving deeper into magic. Lots of liberties will be taken by yours truly.

Recap of season one: Yao had a spell placed on him without his knowing. It was slowly killing him until Arthur found him in New York. We left the two after an emotional confession on a bench by the riverside ;)

Here is season two.

* * *

Kholodno

China woke up this morning feeling refreshed. He hadn't had such a good sleep in a long time. Anyone would feel rejuvenated after sleeping for twelve hours while snoring loudly, but Yao doesn't remember. The memories of the night before were hazy. Only, he remembered having a grand dream where he ended up coming home riding on the back of a unicorn.

He did his morning exercises, got dressed and headed to the kitchen. On the way, he needed to stop by and check the calendar—a rare act on China's part. He blamed it on the strange dream involving a certain blond gentleman jumbling his thoughts. "The 16th –aru! Kiku is still on his business trip…" While musing to himself he continued into the kitchen and began preparing a breakfast for four. The task was almost automatic for his body, which left ample opportunity for his mind to wander.

'Today is the 16th…which means yesterday was the 15th.'

'I had a meeting with America in New York yesterday…but I don't remember going…'

Parts of last night's dream flashed through his mind—him and the eyebrowed bastard on a bench, in a place awfully reminiscent of New York. Yao shook his head furiously. He had a feeling he wouldn't like it if he treaded too far into the contents of last night's 'dream', so he spent the rest of his time in the kitchen humming to himself.

Yao set the remaining dishes to complete the morning's breakfast. As if on cue, his sibling and students poured into the dining room.

"Good morning, sensei."

"Zao an, sensei."

"Annyeong hashimnikka, aniki!"

They bid each other a good morning and took their seats. Soon the sound of chopsticks clattering on porcelain filled the room. The morning was proceeding just as usual until Yao began to notice that something was off. His breakfast mates were a little too quiet today and when he thought of that he realized Yong Soo had yet to make his attack on him. Slowly, above his spoonful of porridge, he took a peek at his sibling. They locked eyes. Yong Soo opened his mouth and when he did, Mei gave him a kick under the dining table that made all the bowls and dishes rattle.

'Strange,' Yao thought. He wanted to say something, but a feeling caught the words in his throat. Yao does not deny that he is superstitious. His superstition has helped guide him many times in life. So when he had a feeling that it wouldn't be wise to start a conversation with Mei today, he obeyed. Yao stood up from the dining table. Three pairs of eyes trained on him.

"I'm full –aru. It's your turn to do the dishes, Yong Soo. Make sure you do a good job –aru."

He hurried out the dining room. Three scrapings of chairs on floor indicated that he was not fast enough. As he paced down the hallway, he heard a thundering of footsteps followed by a distressed call from Mei.

"Stop! Yong Soo!"

"ANIKI!"

A hand pressed down on his shoulder and soon he was face to face with his brother. Yong Soo's eyes were sparkling as they always were right before he does something stupid and seeing them always put Yao's guard up.

"Is it true that you and England are together now that is why he carried you back on a UNICORN last night?"

Yong Soo had blurted it out so quickly that it sounded as nonsensical as what he thought he had heard, but one thing was for certain. Yao reached up and pinched his sibling's cheek, hard.

"Silly Yong Soo. You must have been dreaming because unicorns don't exist -aru."

The Korean looked like he had more to say but was immediately seized by Mei. As she tugged him by the ear towards the dining room Yao heard her angrily hissing at Yong Soo, "You ask him when he's OFF guard. Don't ask him when he's ON guard!" They disappeared into the room leaving Yao with Hong Kong in the hallway. The teacher stared at his student cautiously, for this one was harder to read. Yao blamed it on the upbringing given by that bastard. Finally Kaoru spoke, but nothing outlandish just a statement made matter-of-factly.

"By the way, sensei, Arthur really did bring you back last night..." He paused as if contemplating whether to ask a question or not. The decision was made when a slight smile cleared the troubled look on his face. "I'm glad you're feeling better today, sensei."

Yao's expression softened at the words. He was reminded of why he loved his 'family' of no blood relations so much. Though they may be a handful and incredibly nosy, in the end they really cared about each other. Yao's eyes sparkled. "What? You were worried about me –aru?" He grinned confidently at Kaoru who only widened his smile. "Your sensei still has many years ahead of him –aru!" With that he turned away while giving his student a wave. Then Yao returned to his work-filled day with a smile on his face.

* * *

End of chapter 5

Asians just loooooove gossip! Especially Hong Kong. That one just lives and breathes gossip. What am I basing this on? …personal experience~ Kaoru was fighting with his inner gossiper up there. Speaking of him, I know he was given an official name during the time of the story's hiatus—a very cool one at that. Since it would be confusing to future readers if his name changed over chapters, I'm keeping it as Kaoru. Besides…I'm so used to that (girly girly) name.

Another build up chapter. We'll go back to the magic world real soon. Think I'll start using Harry Potter spells…(just saw the 7th movie. Yep, I'm a slowpoke) See you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used in this story.

To Emmy: Yeah, I'm back with a vengeance! Let's keep encouraging each other and write our hearts out!

To lynnly: Hope this is enough magic to tide you over for now.

To the lovely Hasegawa-san: You are such a perv XD *has pervy thoughts with you~* I'll see what I can do about that dragon ;)

To everyone reading this: Remember, this is where the ooc starts :DD

* * *

Kholodno

He kneeled beside his cherished crops. Trying to reach all the weeds was pulling his body into a contortion, but Yao didn't mind. Food mattered to the man more than anything else and a good plate of food began with fresh and healthy ingredients. A loud crack echoed throughout the garden. This time with his face in a contortion, he slowly sat down and gingerly touched his back.

"Ow…ow…ow…"

He repeated it like a mantra as if doing so would make the pain subside. Yao knew better though. The only way to heal the sprain, even for an immortal body like his, was to wait it out. He could ask one of the younger nations, whom he shared his house with, to fetch him a medicinal patch, but doing so would require him to endure their stifled jeers and the proud nation would much rather endure a little pain than that.

With his arms on his knees, the nation waited patiently. Surrounded by greens, he could smell its fresh scent. It calmed his mind. The garden was also quiet, which opened his mind to thought. Yao gave a sigh. He wanted to take his mind off of the topic by immersing himself in work, but now that his body wouldn't cooperate, he had no choice.

'So all that really happened yesterday…'

'I bumped into the Opium Bastard of all people.'

Yao grimaced. He suddenly remembered the cold—the unbearable cold. It was painful and it lasted a long time, but it was lifted away with the touch of two arms, holding him close. 'Did he…save me…?' Yao was confused yet he knew that was the only logical answer. His siblings had been so kind as to notify him that it was Opium who carried him back last night, and on a unicorn no less. He did have a small recollection of that. He remembered peering up through half-lidded eyes at a back full of stringy white hair. A single horn stood on top of the mess. He also remembered something else. He remembered the green, the emerald green, so consuming that it seemed to take up his entire field of vision. Then his lips touched…

"Aaaaagh!" Yao shook his head violently while his hands hammered the ground. When he finished, his face was all red but the memory still remained. Unhappy, Yao turned away. His eyes connected with a small fruit dangling from a vine. It had just turned into fruit, a bitter melon. One might call it unfortunate because it possessed wrinkly ridges and little bumps all over making it look like an old man. The taste was true to its name—bitter. It is disliked especially by the young, but Yao is old and had grown to like its taste. In fact it was now his favorite. He couldn't help but like the stubby green fruit.

"Why does it have to be you –aru…"

The wooden pail of water had been shaking for a while, but Yao never noticed. It shook on its own as the water rippled. It all happened gradually as the water turned black, then purple. Finally it settled into what looked like the reflection of a woman's face in the water. She spoke.

"Wang Yao."

Yao turned his head towards the direction of the voice. He didn't see anyone, but it called again. His eyes lowered to the source of the voice leading him to the reflection in the pail. He stared incredulously at it because there was no woman standing over it. He opened his mouth, but before he had a chance to ask, the reflection continued.

"Why are you not dead!" The words she spat at him were filled with anger just as her face was etched in fury. She continued in a malicious rant, "Why are you not dead! Why are you not dead! Why are you not dead!" With each word, his surroundings got cooler and cooler until the plants surrounding the pail turned into ice. A figure rose from the water into a woman with long hair. Half human, half ice, Yao stared in disbelief because he recognized that face.

"Y-You are…Ivan's little sister!"

"So you remember me."

She smirked, but her lips dropped into a frown within a second. "Don't ever call my brother by his name!" she screamed. Belarus brought an arm high above her head. She spoke a few ancient words then swung down. Yao could sense he was in danger, but it all happened so fast he couldn't get away. Magic needles of ice coagulated above her hand and flew down towards him. Golden eyes never had time to close. He braced for the impact of the sharp needles through his chest but it never came. Instead he saw yellow.

A glowing yellow light engulfed his sight. He couldn't see anything, but heard the crashing of ice into a solid surface. When the light subsided, the needles were gone and before him, Belarus' expression was replaced by one of confusion.

"Why…why were you protected..?" she stuttered in disbelief.

A rustling of leaves nearby startled them. They looked over and saw Japan step out from between two bushes. His mouth was mumbling in a low voice and his eyes were trained on Belarus. A flash of realization crossed her eyes and she turned with her arm raised, ready to attack, but Japan was faster. With five quick strokes of his hand, a bright light appeared and flew towards the witch.

"Begone o evil one!" Kiku called as the light swept through the area engulfing everything. When it was through, only Kiku remained with a very startled Yao. The icy figure that resembled Belarus was gone.

* * *

End of chapter 6

Yahoo~ That was a bit of action at the end. I haven't written action in such a long time. Hope it turned out okay. So the identity of Yao's could've-been (and maybe soon-to-be?) murderer has been revealed. It is not Russia himself, but Russia's little sister! I didn't really want to choose a girl to be the villain but have you seen Belarus in the anime? She is perfect for the role of psycho-magician-villain. Okay so maybe I took the liberty of turning her into a witch but with the way she chants (e.g. Marrymemarrymemarryme), she may be even better at magic chants than England and Norway. (no…Norway is most likely not appearing in this story. I don't know enough about him…) In return, I promise to make her really cool ;)

Japan is back and has been revealed to be dabbling in sorcery as well. hmm…I wonder who else is hiding magic… Until next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story.

To Hasegawa: You are too nice for saying my (perfect perfect) Yao is not ooc. I'm so happy~ If they were against Kol Kol, they'd be dead by now ;)

To all readers: Please enjoy!

* * *

Kholodno

Minutes passed since the unnatural flash show had occurred before Yao's eyes. His other sibling and students had since gathered in the garden and were now surrounding him with faces of concern. He looked up with wide eyes at the sibling who performed the show. "Kiku…?" He said the name with an inquiring tone as if he was asking for an answer from the other man, but Kiku didn't have any. Yao could see the same confusion beneath the murky depths of his brother's eyes.

"Sensei, Kiku-nii…," Mei's voice came out in a strain, as if she was about to cry. "What happened?"

Kiku didn't say anything. It wasn't because he didn't want to, but it was because he didn't know anything either. Japan's brows furrowed slightly above his emotionless eyes. Yao understood the necessity for him to talk. His whole body was still shaking from the near-death experience. He took a deep breath to calm himself. When he did, he spoke. "It…all began yesterday…"

* * *

What sounded like a fantastic story about a magical curse and witches came from their brother's mouth, but the younger nations knew better than to not believe. Korea and Hong Kong were carefully examining the frozen crops left behind by the 'witch'. It was warm with the sun shining, but the ice hardly showed signs of melting. Mei was kneeling beside her teacher while holding one of his hands. Concern was written all over her face. Kiku stayed in the same place the entire time. He listened quietly, absorbing every word.

"If you hadn't protected me with that yellow light, I would be…" Yao looked up gratefully at Kiku, but Kiku shook his head.

"I wasn't the one who cast that protective charm." He knelt down and seemed to be searching for something on Yao's face. "That was placed well in advance," he continued. "And the source of it comes from…here!" His eyes glimmered ever so slightly from his find. His finger settled slightly before Yao's lips. Everybody just looked a little confused until Mei suddenly screamed from a certain realization. She jumped up and covered her blushing cheeks.

"What is it?" Yong Soo ran to the girl's side. When she only responded with more shrieking, he shook her on the shoulder. "Tell me tell me!"

She turned to Yong Soo. Her eyes were sparkling. "Charms have to do with magic, right? And when we're talking about magic Mr. England comes to mind!" Yong Soo nodded. From the side, Kaoru and Kiku responded the same.

"Sensei was brought home by Mr. England last night…" Kiku interrupted, "Wait, Arthur-san brought Yao-san home last night?" But he was ignored in Mei's fervor. "And he touched sensei on the lips to cast his charm. With what part did he touch sensei though…" Mei trailed off in a tone hinting suspense. Her eyes fell on her teacher. His face had been bright red ever since Kiku found the charm's source. Yao's eyes widened with hers.

"Judging from sensei's reaction…"

"NO, don't say it –aru!"

"…it must have been…"

Yao shot up. He seized her, but the sentence spoken from her mouth went on. "...A KISS!" The words echoed throughout the garden. The four men in it stood motionlessly as the one girl bounced up and down in glee. The first man's face had a big 'O' formed by his mouth as his mind processed the information, the second man covered his face, the third man's expression was unreadable, and the last did not seem too surprised. Kiku was the first to snap out of his trance. He walked over to his older brother as his hand reached inside his pocket for something. It came out with a light blue rectangular object. He took Yao's hand and placed the charm in it.

"Hold on to this. Just in case."

Yao looked at the clothed object. He knew what it was. A 'mamori' as Japan called it. It was a divine charm used to ward off evil. Yao smiled happily at his little brother who cared so much for him, "Thank you, Kiku –aru"

"You're very welcome," Japan smiled equally. "I'm a little less busy now that my business trip is over so please let me stay over at your house, Yao-san." His brother's face brightened at the news. "Really? You'll stay over?" he beamed.

"Yay! Kiku-nii!" Mei cheered, even happier.

Kaoru made his trademark 'wish' sign as a show of approval. Yong Soo contemplated whether he should follow suit. Of course it didn't take long as he blurted out something along the lines of "did you know the concept of 'sleeping over' originated in Korea?" and happily invited himself.

"It's been a long time since I stayed over so I hope I won't be a bother," Kiku noted politely but he was already being dragged away by a cheery bunch. Yao didn't mind having company over, especially the company of his cherished brothers. He was happy and knew he would enjoy their company for the night, whether it was for a playful cause or one of precaution.

* * *

End of chapter 7

Let's clear up some confusion~ In the world of this story, Hong Kong and Taiwan are the only ones living in China's house. South Korea and Japan live in their separate houses. The brothers have a good relationship (in this story that is) and to highlight that I made them have breakfast every morning together. Ni-ni likes having a big group for his meals after all~

Also in this story, the concept of 'homosexuality' is no different from hetero because…I'm a fujoshi :DD So to explain Mei's behavior, think a nosy little girl finding out that her cute (really pretty) teacher has finally found a boyfriend. Kiku…may or may not be jealous. I will not say anymore. Till next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Same as last chappie

To Emmy: That one word summarizes everything XD

To Daisy: Thanks for saying it's cute :3

To all readers: We're going to change things a bit in this chapter. This time we'll look at things from Kiku's perspective. Now now, don't complain. This will allow you look at ni-ni from a different angle~ Also, stopped counting traffic for me five days ago. I think it's broken, so I will appreciate it if you'll leave me a review to let me know there are people reading this~ Go ahead and leave a one worded review like Emmy if you want XD

* * *

Kholodno

China cheerfully hopped about the kitchen. He swooped around like a whirlwind working on the pot, the pan, and then the wok. The resulting creations were soon completed and lined up on the countertop. The dishes steamed in an addicting aroma.

Yong Soo, Hong Kong, and the rest of the younger nations have long since stopped playing with cards. They lined up by the entrance to the kitchen.

"Oh…the smell is overwhelming," Mei announced in a complaint, but her stomach betrayed her and growled loudly.

"I wish it was dinner time already," Yong Soo whined. Beside him, Hong Kong began to move. As if in a trance, he moved mechanically closer towards the entrance.

"What are you doing?"

"I seriously need to eat now," he curtly replied. Korea grabbed him. "You can't! If aniki catches you, that'll be the end –daze!" The elder's face was marked by seriousness, but the younger one showed no signs of backing down. When Kiku saw this, he spoke up. "I agree with Yong Soo, Kaoru-kun. Yao-san does not go light with his punishments." Flashes of his childhood passed through Kiku's mind. He followed Kaoru's line of vision to the eight neat dishes piled high with food in delicious colors—all of them his favorite. A bit of drool threatened to leave the corner of his mouth. He quickly turned away and gave Hong Kong a sad smile. "It's best to wait for now."

At that moment, Yao's face suddenly appeared from the doorway. His siblings and students shook with surprise, but Yao didn't notice. He cheerfully made his announcement. "It's ready~!" He was taken aback to see the younger nations crowding around before him when he expected to see them still playing with cards. The corners of his lips turned up. "Did you come to help carry the dishes? What good kids you are –aru!" he beamed.

Without skipping a beat, the four slipped by Yao and came back out, each holding two steaming plates. They trotted hurriedly yet carefully to the dining room. There was a mysterious gleam in Kiku, Yong Soo, and Kaoru's eyes as the heavy plates occupied both their hands. Too bad nations didn't have an extra arm aside from the two they were given.

* * *

Their dinner ended peacefully, or as peacefully as a table full of youngsters would allow. The occupants of the house had kept Japan occupied for so long that he didn't have time to unpack until this late hour at night, but he wasn't complaining. An honest smile tugged at his lips as he took to his task. One by one, he placed his belongings on the bed of the guestroom. At that moment, Yao walked in.

"Aiya…you have so little things, Kiku," he remarked. A towel covered his head and his hands were rubbing it through his wet hair. Golden eyes peeked at Kiku questioningly. Kiku glanced at his belongings laid before him and the medium-sized bag he used to hold them. Then he answered his older brother. "I prefer to pack light," he said and added confidently, "If anything, I would say you bring too much with you on your trips, Yao-san." A mischievous grin appeared on the usually placid face.

"…why you-," his brother gave a short gasp before uttering, but quickly dropped his comeback. Kiku suspected that his brother realized he was impossible to beat at arguments, especially when they involved facts, or at least it was very hard to best him. Japan prided himself in being the most observant of the family. Plus, he had a good memory. The grin on his face grew wider, but Yao was ignoring him. Still working at his hair, he walked over to Kiku's side.

The man calmly resumed his task until he heard his brother's voice again. "The Art and Practice of Onmyoudou…" he said slowly. Kiku looked up from the clothes he was refolding. His brother was holding one of the books he left on the bed. Yao turned it around in his hands then back. He gave Kiku a quizzical look. "Are you playing with witchcraft again –aru?" he asked, but his tone contained no negativity. Back in the day, centuries ago, both brothers practiced a similar brand of witchcraft. In fact, they were so into it that they often shared ideas and techniques, but as all hobbies go, their interest died down…or so his older brother had thought.

Unfaltering golden eyes waited for an answer. Without knowing it, Kiku's body was shirking under the piercing glance. He answered as casually as he could. "I started finding it interesting again." He picked up the second book from the pile and flipped through a few pages. "It's scientifically illogical but the mystery of it is captivating." He finally answered after some thought. The same intense look was still in his brother's eyes, but Kiku knew his brother was not aiming it at him or his hobby because they were not focused on him. Kiku knew exactly what Yao was worrying about.

"I think you should contact Arthur-san."

Upon hearing the words, Yao shook his head and blinked a few times in surprise. "O-Opium?" His tone was as harsh as can be, but the little bit of overstressing exposes his true feelings, Japan was careful to note. He continued. "I'm not as familiar on the topic. I've only started picking up Onmyoudou again a few years ago, mostly as a side hobby." Seemingly emotionless eyes clouded sourly at the admittance of his insufficiency. Luckily his brother did not notice. Yao was too occupied in thought. He was biting his nails.

"I-I can't believe it was Ivan's sister."

He stammered and Kiku listened patiently. Slender fingers had left his teeth and were tangling themselves into damp hair. "The last time I saw her was at Ivan's house…but she seemed like such a nice girl –aru!"

Then wide eyes turned to Kiku as if he was proving a point. "She was hugging her brother the entire time with a sweet smile. I even thought, 'wouldn't it be great if Kiku were like that?' –aru!" He said the last sentence with such earnestness that Kiku had to give a slight cough into his hand, but he regained his composure as soon as he had lost it. "But she did try to kill you today," Kiku interjected.

Yao fell silent. After a moment, the younger brother suggested again.

"Let England know. You need his help"

'or you had his help' Japan wanted to add, but he didn't say it because he didn't want to risk inflaming his brother for the second time that day. He watched silently as his brother shuffled between holding his head and biting his nails a few times. When his arms finally broke the cycle with a big fling to his sides, he huffed a quick "Fine –aru!" Without a second thought, Kiku took out his phone.

"Wait –aru!"

Kiku looked up. "I…I'll write him a letter –aru."

'A letter?' the younger wanted to say in the most incredulous way at the archaic form of communication, but he held his tongue for a second time. His brother's face was deep red. A smile crept unwillingly up to his face.

"Fine."

* * *

End of chapter 8

Ugh…this chapter was so wordy. I hope it wasn't too much trouble reading it through.

And here I need to clarify this make-believe world again~ Japan is too chummy with China, right? The current world hardly reflects that… So, I am happy to declare that this story takes place in the near future! Give a few decades and their grudges are just water under the bridge (like US and England…?). Water under the bridge~ Hahaha… *sweatdrop*

I also have some good/bad news. A day of celebration for all things England x China, aka Iggychu Day, is fast approaching—January 22 to be exact! That said, I will need time to prepare…stuff, meaning this story will be on hiatus once again, but hold that groan! You are cordially invited to the festivities over at kouchagumi (just google the community). In fact, the festivities will begin tonight, in a carefully crafted members-locked post (which can only mean a few things…and good things from a fangirl's perspective, if I do say so myself! *laughs like France*) See you later! And I'll make an effort here to bug you for a review :D


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter spells :D

To all readers: It's been a long break, huh. Well, I'm back and like before, I will try to get out a few chapters in a row. I like writing on a roll, if you haven't noticed. Alrighty less yapping from me and let's get to the story.

A quick summary (because it's been months since chapter 8): Yao and his family discovered that Belarus was a witch and wanted him dead. Kiku and Yong Soo insisted that they'll stay by his side to protect him. On Kiku's urging, Yao had to contact Arthur for help through a letter…

Oh yes, and as I said before, everything is AU at this point. Yes, they can die. It gives a little more suspense ;)

* * *

Kholodno

China entered his kitchen in high spirits. It was the start of another day—another exciting day with his two siblings in the house. This was the third day since they had decided to stay over. Though the reason was to protect him, nothing happened in the last few days. Yao started wondering if they were all just overreacting.

He walked towards the cabinets, intending to retrieve the ingredients for breakfast, when all of a sudden a wave of cold air shocked him. In the blink of an eye, his surroundings have frozen over. A thick layer of ice now encased the cabinet he was about to open. Yao turned around. He looked up at the floating figure by the door. Floating three feet from the floor was Belarus. With her hair spread out and her skirts suspended in mid air, she looked nothing less than a ghost to Yao.

Still in shock, no words could escape Yao's mouth. Belarus' mouth twitched up into a smirk. "I can make this quick and easy," she cooed.

Yao didn't usually get to hear her speak. Her voice was calm, feminine, and had a familiar accent. She was the little sister of a trusted friend. Yao couldn't fathom what garnered him her hate.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Yao spoke, finding his voice.

"Aren't you Ivan's little sister –aru?"

After his last question, he saw the change in her expression. Her brows have dropped and the smirk was gone. She was mumbling something under her breath. A hand was raised above her chest. A familiar glow appeared, just like last time. Yao quickly ran towards the stove for his wok, but the ice needles had already formed and were speeding his way. He made a quick duck and they crashed into the frozen counter, smashing into pieces. Before he even had time to recollect himself, another group was already flying towards him. The unnatural speed of magic was too much for him. Involuntarily, he raised his arms to protect himself.

A yellow light surrounded him again. Upon impact with the yellow glow, the needles disappeared. The girl frowned. "That pesky shield."

"I'll break it down!" She let out a shriek as she waved more needles at Yao. Yao ran the few steps to the stove and grabbed for the wok hanging next to it. However, his hopes were shot when he discovered a thick layer of ice holding it to the wall. In a panic, his eyes scanned the room but nothing of use was free from the ice. Just then, an invisible force hit him to the side. He steadied himself on the wall and turned towards Belarus' direction. The needles continued flying out from around her. They dissipated in the yellow light but the light was dimming. With every crash of a needle, he felt more and more of the force from the needles.

Belarus shrieked out in laughter. She realized she was approaching victory and began cutting down on the frequency of the needles, opting to form larger ones instead. The force of the larger stakes sent Yao flying off his feet. He could only recollect himself with every hit of blunt force that pushed him all over the place. Suddenly, a sound similar to breaking glass echoed in the room. They both stopped and looked as the yellow shield broke away into pieces and shattered into thin air.

Golden eyes dilated as he once again was able to see the murderous look on the sister's face.

"Goodbye," she said triumphantly.

Yao racked his brain for words to say but only a scream came out of his mouth. He watched a stake, formed in ice, shoot towards him, but as with before it dissolved before touching him. Yao looked around himself. This time he was covered in a blue light—the same color as Kiku's 'mamori'. He felt relieved but he knew, like Arthur's charm, it can only hold out for so long. Belarus too seemed to understand this as she continued chanting her spells, expression unchanged.

The next thing happened faster than Yao's human eyes could see. A zap of white light sent the witch flying out the door into the next room. Yao looked around until he saw it outside the glassless window.

Perched on a flying white unicorn was England. His right hand clutched a long stick with a star on top. His arm was pointed out in the direction where Belarus flew. The unicorn settled onto the courtyard and the man jumped off onto the ground. He gave his unicorn a pat and it hopped away into the sky. All the time, he never stopped pointing the wand at his opponent.

The window in the kitchen was large enough to fit a person, so China climbed out to the courtyard. When emerald eyes spotted him, they flickered towards him before training back on the girl. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Arthur said. In his left hand, he clutched a white envelope. Yao recognized it as the letter he had written two days ago. A blush rose his face.

"I-I couldn't! It wasn't easy asking for your help, Opium Bastard –aru!"

At that moment, emerald eyes connected with golden ones. "Asking for help?" Thick brows formed into an angry 'V'. "What part of this was asking for help?" He waved the letter in his hand. "Half of this was insults!" A bigger blush formed on Yao's face, but just then, a movement from the side, caught both men's eyes. A wave of sharp icicles was flying towards them. Luckily, Arthur already had his wand pointed in its direction.

"Incendio!"

All he had to do was call out before a fire shot out from his wand and cleared away the ice.

* * *

End of chapter 9

Okay, stopping here. I haven't written in such a long time, this gave me trouble. I can't even go back and pad this with more words, lol.

The spell, I dunno if I used the right one. I looked up the list of Harry Potter spells and it said Incendio starts a fire. I'm more used to rpg spells so I was intending to find one that shoots a fireball. Fire counters ice, right? So…if Incendio doesn't do that, please bear with this ignorant fic writer^^

Yeah, more magic ahead! See you next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter spells :D

To Emmy: You know Iggy…unicorn to work, unicorn to the store. It's like he can't live without his unicorn.

To kecen: Don't look down on the power of an angry little sister, especially when it's Russia's little sister. Plus this is an AU where they can die~

To iggychu: Nice name ^^b It's Hetalia + Harry Potter. Of course it will be funny~

To all readers: Explanations for the spells are at the very end. Just scroll down if you get confused ;)

* * *

Kholodno

A second wave of frozen needles zipped through the air flying towards England and China. The taller blond zapped them away with his wand, as soon as he saw them coming, with another magical fireball. Every time a wave of ice came, he melted them down just as easily, but China was not reassured. The opposing sorceress had hidden herself. She was using the wall of the room to conceal herself. For now she had been attacking from the window, but will her next attack be from the open door or the other window…

"We're sitting ducks out here –aru." Arthur turned his head in Yao's way, but his eyes remained on the attack. "What do you want me to do?" He paused to command another fireball from his wand. "As you can see, I'm busy!"

Yao grabbed Arthur the moment the ice was cleared. He dashed through the courtyard and skillfully landed on the walkway, behind a stone fence. Arthur was seemingly shaken probably because he never expected to be carried by the other man. He tried to recompose himself. Yao was already peeking carefully above the wall in a way a skilled fighter would. His head was tilted back so a minimal amount of his head could be seen. The fence surrounded the courtyard. It meant he and Arthur had a decent amount of hiding space to move in. The problem was finding a proper weapon. Yao was still deep in thought when Arthur suddenly said next to him, "Let me handle this."

Yao pushed away from the fence quickly. Golden eyes locked with emerald. "I can't-" he said incredulously but before he finished his sentence, Arthur said in a stern voice. "Do you really believe this is something you can handle?" Yao said nothing.

"Look, I know you have a lot of pride, but this girl is a real sorceress."

It was involuntary, but Yao was biting his nail. He remained silent with an indignant look in his eyes. Arthur's eyes were still on him. Suddenly their gaze changed from firm to uncertain. The sorcerer spoke, "And there's one more thing I need you to do." He shuffled slightly so that his body was turning more towards Yao's way, almost like he was getting ready to hug him. "I need you to take some of my sorcery…" Arthur trailed off as if he didn't know how to explain further, but when he saw the blush creeping up to Yao's face, he knew the other had understood.

"Y-You mean take some of your chi? I don't need it –aru!" Yao shrunk away from the man, but the other persisted. He said, this time with a hint of annoyance, "Yao, this is a serious matter! She is a high level magician specializing in attack and you are her target. I came here because I wanted to help you so let me do my job correctly."

Yao softened at the last words. He finally gave the other a slight nod. Arthur had already positioned his arms close to his perimeter, asking for permission. The smaller man lowered his arms. They met in the middle in a warm hug. This time, Yao was awake to watch as the yellow glow emanated from Arthur and surrounded his body in a shield. It disappeared a second later. When they separated, Arthur's eyes were already focusing on the room Belarus was in.

With his wand held ready, the man crept a distance along the fence so that he was away from Yao. Slowly, he peeked up. Not seeing a sign of the other magician, he called out.

"Why do you want to kill China? I don't think he did anything to you."

Wand poised to attack, he waited. A moment later Belarus' floating figure appeared from the doorway. The glare in her eyes was murderous and a deep frown was on her face. She drifted through the air until she passed the walkway into the courtyard.

"He stole my brother."

"What?" England asked, genuinely confused. Belarus only continued in a heated rant. Her eyes widened and she raised a hand to her chest.

"My brother! My brother! MY BROTHER!"

At that point, England stopped his questioning. He rose up from the fence, causing Yao to give a silent protest, but he ignored the other and hopped out into the courtyard. Belarus lifted a brow in amusement. "Oh? Not going to hide anymore?"

England smiled. "How can I when you are not doing the same? That would be ungentlemanly." Belarus returned his smile, but it was short lived as her hand whipped into the air. "Kholodno!" She called curtly as she swung her arms towards England's direction. A blast of artic wind, strong enough to tear the tree, headed straight for the man. As quickly as Belarus had conjured her spell, England pointed his wand in the wind's direction and shouted.

"Protego!"

The command turned the wind back where it came from, towards Belarus. It sent the potted plants on the fence behind her smashing into the wall, but the strong wind seemed to do no harm to Belarus herself. She smirked victoriously. "Is that all you have?"

Unshaken, England remained focused. China had been peeking at the unnatural fight scene from the side. He was still ready to fight, but deep down, he was glad to have been forced to sit this one out.

"Confringo!"

England commanded and an invisible force made its way towards Belarus before it burst into flames on thick columns of ice which had suddenly shot out from the ground. The sorceress lowered her arms. Both casters appeared tense, yet the smugness in the girl's voice had not disappeared. "Fire, fire. Always fire. Can you not cast anything else?" She raised one arm and initiated the next attack. "Ten' Vspyshka!"

This time, the expected cold theme of the sorceress' spells was gone. Instead, an unnatural shadow had covered the courtyard. Blue and purple flames sprouted from her hand and flew up into the darkened sky before raining down on England. England furrowed his brows, eyes deep in concentration as he figured out what type of spell he was dealing with. In less than a second, he returned with a spell. "Lumos!"

A beam of light cut through the created darkness. It caused the shadows to disappear and along with them, the blue and purple flames. It could have been a moment for rejoicing but neither England nor China was aware of what came next. A force hit England as soon as the courtyard was clear. He dropped to the ground like an unstringed marionette. China whipped his head around and saw Belarus had raised her other hand, having cast a second spell. He knew he must help England. The lithe man made a dash behind the stone fence and lunged out at Belarus once he reached her side. However, as if an unseen force was helping her, his body was swept down onto the open courtyard by an invisible wind. He landed next to the paralyzed England in a thud.

Her eyes glared coldly down at Yao. "This time for certain." She spoke an incantation as her right hand glowed. Yao knew it was the same shadowy spell as the last. For the second time in the day, he was at a lost for what to do to protect himself. He braced his arms above his head and only wished that the shield given by his brother and his unexpected protector was enough to hold on.

* * *

End of chapter 10

Oh glorious fight scene~ Do you like fight scenes in your fic? Cause I sure do!

Let's go over the spells shall we? Iggy's first:

These are all Harry Potter spells (that list wasn't very easy to work with, I tell you)

Protego – causes a spell to be reflected back to the caster

Confringo – causes an object that makes impact with the spell go up in flames

Lumos – creates a beam of light on Iggy's wand…and remember his has a star on top so glowing star, oooo~

Belarus' now:

Lol, I stole all of Leon's spells (Leon D. S. Geeste from Star Ocean 2) and gave them to her. All water and shadow spells

(Ice Needle) – she has been using this for a while, but you never hear her say it because I'm writing in third person limited (at least I think I'm writing in limited. Haha, no English genius here) so everything you get is whatever Yao-chan is paying attention to~

Kholodno – the trademark spell of this fic. Sends out a wave of cold arctic air.

(Deep Freeze) – shoots out columns of spike-like ice from the ground. (I loved using this spell)

Ten' Vspyshka (Shadow Flare) – lol I just google translated 'shadow' and 'flare' and have no idea if it sounds right in Russian. Let's copy from the guidebook… "ignites flames of darkness that burn from hell" (I loved this spell too. Leon's spells are the best!)

A little bit of trivia about Leon. Did you know he was voiced by Kaida Yuki, in the Japanese version? I loved the game so much that I bought and played the Japanese version, even though I had no idea what they were saying at the time (I think I was a first year Japanese student) but the amazing thing was I played the game in English so many times I did it with no problem. I had no idea who his VA was but even then I preferred his Japanese voice (much better than his deep English voice…not beating down on deep English voices for teenage characters. If done right, like Larsa's…fufufu, but Leon's was just no) and I even thought 'hey, his English is not bad' (well duh, Kaida-sama went to university here). So…I think I can safely call myself a big fan of Kaida Yuki. Make that 'very' big? :DD

Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story and Kaoru's nunchucks belong to Bruce Lee

To 8U: Is this supposed to be some sort of pacman face? Cause it sure looks like it. I'm glad you liked the last chapter. It was my main motivation for writing this fic ;) Seriously, I wrote this fic because (well, one because I wanted some Iggychu but the second reason was) I wanted to put Iggy in a HP-esque fight with somebody. Unfortunately Belarus became my victim as the opponent. If I knew about Norway's magical capabilities earlier, he very well may have been the antagonist instead XD But the story works better with Bel-chan cause of her Bro complex. Why did I rant? I'm sorry for ranting in your reply, 8-bit (can I call you 8-bit? Your name reminds me of an 8 and that mouth looks like it just bit something. …I'm sorry -_-). I like my action scenes too. I think it's the only thing I have going for me among the skilled writers here on . If you're serious and not just being polite…you should use my different worlds fic instead. I think that had the best action scenes I've ever written ;)

To Emmy: Oh you. This story's rated T. Nobody dies in T-rated stories, like Naruto! Hey…wait…

To all who put this on alert: Thanks! We're winding down, guys. I hope the story does not disappoint!

This chapter is written in Kiku's POV :)

* * *

Kholodno

The blue and purple flames of Belarus' spell swooped up into the darkened sky before plunging down towards Yao, but before they make it to him a brilliant white light appears, blocking the attack. Several meters above Yao's head, an invisible shield had appeared and swallowed up the flames. The shadows faded from the courtyard.

"Yao-san! Are you okay?" Kiku ran to the edge of the courtyard. He was out of breath. Behind him his other sibling and Yao's students caught up from the hallway.

"More of you?" Belarus' eyes widened into an unhappy glare. She lifted an arm to attack but stopped and seemed to hesitate.

"Yao-san, let us take care of this. You need to get yourself and Arthur-san to safety," Kiku said hurriedly as he took wide steps into the courtyard towards Yao. His fingers held a bunch of paper charms and his hand was lifted ready to take on the next attack. Yao didn't have time to think so he nodded and ran over to pick up Arthur, looping a heavy arm around his neck. They dashed out of the yard, but not without Belarus' notice. She had already completed her next spell. A thick spear of ice shot out from her hand and went straight for Yao's retreating figure. Kiku called out a command and held out his arm towards the ice. A bright wall formed causing the spear to crash in mid air.

By the time the ice was gone, broken into tiny pieces, Yao and Arthur had already left. Belarus fumed, "I don't have time for you. Get out of my way!"

"I cannot let you harm Yao-san any further," Kiku narrowed his eyes. He had promised to protect Yao and his absence from this morning's attack brought him great displeasure. The usually mild-mannered man showed resolve in his eyes.

"Yeah, that's right! What made you think you can just lock us up in our rooms?" Mei huffed from the walkway behind Kiku. This morning they woke up to find their doors sealed shut by ice. It took some time before Kiku was able to remove it from their doors. Yong Soo peeked at Belarus from Kaoru's back. "S-She's floating!" he said with a disbelieving shake in his voice. Kaoru seemed unaffected though. He only nodded and reached into his sleeve for a pair of nunchucks.

Kiku caught Kaoru in a kung fu stance in the corner of his eye. "Will you be assisting me?" Kiku gave him a small smile.

"I'm seriously not sure if I want to hit a girl," he replied.

"Well, whether you want to or not you better do it because here comes her next attack!" Mei shouted. Trails of hellish flames cut through the dimmed sky at them. Kiku rushed into action and cast a protective spell. It successfully canceled out the flames. Kaoru had already circled behind the sorceress. He swung about his nunchucks and made a great jump at her to attack. However, it was useless as an invisible wind swept him away onto the ground. Kiku and the others didn't even have time to feel disheartened because as soon as Kaoru fell, Mei jumped up from the side with a broomstick and gave Belarus a good smack to the stomach.

Mei landed on the ground and stood proudly with a grin. "Just because he can't hit you, it doesn't mean I can't." Unfortunately, her victory was short-lived as the sorceress recovered from the slight attack and threw a gush of wind in Mei's direction. It sent Mei flying to the ground and onto the stone fence where a thick ice began forming over her right arm. "Mei!" Three sets of voices cried. Yong Soo ran over to her and tried to free her arm from the ice. Kiku turned to look at Belarus. She seemed unharmed and angrier than before. She sneered.

"Brother will be angry if I kill anymore," she stated expecting the others to understand, but Kiku did not falter. He kept his charms ready in his hand and challenged the witch with his eyes.

* * *

End of chapter 11

Short chappie. Can't write anymore^^ Hey, you had a long one last time~ See you next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story, nor do I own the Harry Potter spell :D

To lynnly: It is a play on pikachu. We even made comics about it at the comm :D Thanks for the encouragement! ^^b

To Emmy: Great to hear~

To 8-bit: I'm glad you like the name I gave you. Can I be your mommy? *bricked* You'll just have to deal with it dear~ Writing is not my forte and writing long things drives me nuts.

* * *

Kholodno

Yao ran down the corridor and turned into a room. He ran as fast as he can, with over twice his weight dragging on him. He went over to the wooden chair in the middle and dropped off the unmoving man. He then dashed off into a different room. Once inside his bedroom, he opened a drawer and searched until he found the small pouch that he needed. He grabbed a candle and a lighter as well before heading out again.

When Yao returned to Arthur's side, he turned over one of the motionless arms and covered the wrist with two fingers. As he was doing this, he noticed the emerald eyes rolling to his hand then up to his face quizzically. Seeing that the other man was conscious, Yao asked, "How do you feel –aru?"

Although his entire body was slack, a few muscles seemed to work in Arthur's face. The blond man tried his best to move his mouth to speak but was only able to get his lips moving which resulted into a sneer. "…I'm…paralyzed…," he answered through gritted teeth.

Yao knew that before Arthur had told him. The years of experience developing, researching, and using his form of medicine allowed him to see and feel the condition of others without using any equipment. The trick behind it was his ability to sense 'chi' or the very life force of another, which Yao could feel pumping through Arthur's veins and under his fingers.

Seeing that the man was not in any pain Yao knew exactly what to do. He lighted the candle on the floor beside them and opened the pouch. In it were a few dozen thin needles. His hand hovered over them until he found the right one. He extracted it and held it over the candle. Then he brought it up, putting it into Arthur's field of vision at the same time. Before Yao continued his task, he noticed the emerald shrinking into an enlarging area of white and a twitching that took up a corner of the sneering lips. Yao relished for a moment in the other's misplaced fear, but quickly resumed his work. His family was outside in danger. He needed to hurry.

Arthur hardly had time to make so much as an "eep" before Yao stuck the needle in a carefully selected spot in his arm, then he put in another. By the time the frightened man found his voice, there were already a dozen or so needles sticking out from his body. "…w…what are…you doing…?" He seemed to relax a bit, finding no pain in the activity however, with the next needle Yao hovered over the talking eyes. He held it close to the man's face, almost brandishing it. A smirk wanted to appear but Yao withheld it and focused until he found the right place on the sweaty forehead where he eased the needle in.

"..nNNN…AHHHHH!" Arthur exclaimed while his mouth became free from the paralysis. The man seemed to notice this because he stopped screaming. Yao worked quickly to remove the needles. Once they were all gone from his body and safely inserted back into the pouch, Arthur sat up with ease as if he had not been paralyzed a few seconds ago. Yao smiled.

"There's no acupuncturist better than me –aru! You should be grateful, Opium"

Arthur had a bewildered look on his face as he opened and closed his hand. He looked up at Yao. "What did you do…?"

"I opened up your paths –aru. I even stabilized your disrupted chi, Opium"

At the mention of 'chi', the sorcerer's eyes lit up. He moved around as if sensing for something on himself. "You're right…my magical stamina is back to normal!" He looked like he had more to say, but the scene outside the window caught their eyes. A daemon in a half transparent cloak had rammed its scythe down onto Kiku's shield. Kiku was holding up, but the expression on his face showed that he would not last long. Gusts of wind and light surged out from the impact.

On the side, Yong Soo was busy throwing what appeared to be garlic at the sorceress. "Go away…you floating ghost!" He looked like he was on the verge of tears. In a supernatural way, all of the garlic was pushed off before they even reach Belarus. Suddenly, Kaoru emerged from the hallway with a small octagonal mirror he had retrieved from the house. He flashed a stream of light into Belarus' eyes. The moment it reached her, she shirked away and gave out a cry. The magical daemon that was attacking Kiku vanished.

"That's it, lad! Light is her weakness!" England said excitedly. He got up and rushed towards the open window. China cried out. "Wait! You need rest first –aru!" England turned around with a confident smile on his face. "No need to worry. This will be quick." His hand reached into his pocket for his spare wand as he said this. He quickly pulled it out and aimed the tip at the floating figure in the courtyard. He took a deep breath and bellowed.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The moment he called his command, a bright flash of light blinded everybody's eyes. In a squint, Yao could see the outline of Belarus' body arched in pain. Her screaming could be heard loudly resounding throughout the house. When the spell was over, she was left huddling on the ground, shaking and no longer seeming ready to fight.

* * *

End of chapter 12

Forgive me Harry Potter fans. I changed a spell, heheh. When I was watching the _Prisoner of Azkaban_ I saw the spell and always thought it was a light attack. I read about it on Wiki just yesterday and found out it was not^^ Was all that really in the movie? I didn't catch any mention of its mechanics. Either the movie cut things out or my ear for the British accent is just that bad ^^; But…it was too late. I had the whole story planned on this last big boom so you can blame JKR-san for not putting in any strong light spells~

The stuff with the acupuncture is…mostly based on the Korean drama my family liked to watch. It was about a young girl who trained to become a chef then later turned to medicine. Really cool story and wildly popular in Hong Kong~ But, is this needle poking healing thing real? Well, I know at least four people who use it for different ailments and they all tried different things before settling on acupuncture. My bro had neck problems from his work which went on for a couple of years until he visited an acupuncturist. His last visit was over a year ago. Before that he tried massaging and that suction cup thingy you saw on Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith's version of Karate Kid. I haven't heard him complain about it since. I'm so happy for him~ The…wrist testing thing is real. I remember getting so awfully sick as a kid one time, my dad took me to a Chinese doctor. We walked in, I sat down, he did that with my wrist for maybe a few seconds and he knew what medicine to give me. He also said I was…constipated. I didn't even know I was so I said no I wasn't. I went home later and…yeah he was right.

This is my fan creation: 'chi' = lifeforce = sorcery (and for the rpg-fans 'mp') In other words, I turned Yao-chan into a white mage XD He can heal all party members~ As for the 'hp', he can cook so he can definitely heal that. Iggy is a black mage. I made it so that he has a natural shield due to his magic. Think of it like a game character with a level so high that weaksauce magic can't hurt em and just bounce off~ As for him being able to share it with Yao… I remember when I was very little, there were movies from Hong Kong where mates can share their magical fighting ability (like the hopping through trees type of surreal fighting _). The power gets transferred from a really good fighter (usually a girl) to a wimpy weakling and suddenly the weakling can fight. More specifically, the power is transferred through *** but this is a T-rated fic so lets settle for hugging and kissing ^_~

Belarus is most definitely another black mage and Kiku was supposed to be a green mage, supports allies and weakens enemies, but I didn't give him enough air time to illustrate this -_- And Hong Kong is a red mage, the son of a black mage and a white mage should be no less than that- *bricked* ^q^ He prefers fighting in the likes of Bruce Lee instead of tapping his magical side ;) Taiwan…Wan-chan is brave and also a white mage~ Yong Soo's reaction…would be my very own if I met a floating girl with a mad glare~ He's also a white mage :D

That's it. This story has sealed my craziness. I am perverted and crazy. Hope I haven't left anything out. Story ending soon~ See you next chapter…and that won't be till next week. I suddenly have the urge to scan in that darn long doujinshi finally :p Check the comm over the weekend to find it. Google 'kouchagumi' and remember, you must join to see the djs ;) Have a nice weekend everybody!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story.

To Emmy: I hope you did cause I'm about to scanlate another one :DD

To Hasegawa: Weee so much reviews~ Thank you~ I'm glad you like this! About Belarus-chan, her way of thinking is similar to this: It's okey, so long as my rival is dead XD But she's just over reacting because no one is fighting her for her oniichan. I like shipping her with Russia c:

To 8-bit: Your mommy is a laggy youtube video~ But fear not, the cliffhangers are over! It's easiest to write about something you know ;) I remember the first essay I ever received praise for was one on gaming XD

* * *

Kholodno

They all now stood in the courtyard. Japan had just finished undoing the ice magic on Taiwan's arm. China looked on with concern between his student's recovery and the huddling witch. England stood in front of him, wand pointed and ready to attack. The rest of the boys approached the fallen Belarus slowly and cautiously until they were stopped by a booming voice.

"Won't you stop, da?"

Everybody looked up at the roof to the owner of the voice. It was Russia. He stood tall and steady on the slanted rooftop. The pipe was missing from his hand but the expression on his face was frightening enough. Belarus looked up as soon as she heard the voice. When the sister saw her brother she leaped up as if she was never hurt. An unnatural wind guided her leap into the air and landed her next to her brother. Yong Soo let out a squeak.

Belarus gave her brother a big hug and stayed in that position. Russia looked down with the stern look now directed at her. "Why did you attack Yao?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice. Belarus replied, still not letting go of her brother.

"Because you're too close to him, brother. The only one you should be close to is me." There was a brilliant smile on her face. The brows on Russia's face moved from an angry expression to a more exasperated one.

"He's my friend, Belarus. Can't I have any friends?" He asked, but the girl was no longer listening. She had already begun chanting her mantra—"Kekkon kekkon kekkon".* A look of what could've been fear flashed through the tall man's face, but it quickly dissolved into a fearsome look again as he turned to look at a spot near Belarus. There was nothing there except air but Russia spoke anyway. "Why did you come with her?" His tone was a lot harsher compared to when he was speaking with Belarus. He waited as if listening to an inaudible answer then replied, "That's no excuse, da. If you didn't come along, she would have done less damage."

Russia shook his head, as if from disappointment, and looked down at Yao. "I'm sorry, Yao." His apology was genuine and Yao felt sorry for his friend. His sister seemed rather possessive. Although, as a fellow brother, he didn't mind the occasional bouts of possessiveness displayed by his younger brothers, the proposals of marriage and the non-detachable hug was too much, even for Yao. By his side, he heard Kiku whisper "What a cute brother and sister." Yao was about to give him a bewildered look when Russia spoke again.

"I should bring her back before she causes more trouble, da," Russia said with a hint of discomfort. Yao gave his friend an encouraging smile. "Watch over her –aru" Ivan nodded. "I will, da" Then he turned to the spot of air again and commanded, "Take us back." After he said those words, a gust of wind blew the two siblings into the air and away from the roof. They headed off like two birds into the sky. Yong Soo's jaw dropped and this time, everybody's did as well. Even Arthur seemed a little surprised.

With nothing more to see on the roof, they turned towards each other. There was a smile on everyone's face. They had a long battle and in a sense, they won. At least no one ended up hurt…or dead. Yao peeked over at Arthur, who noticed and returned his fleeting glance with a questioning look. He seemed surprised and bemused at the timid actions Yao was displaying. Yao never showed his weak side to Arthur, but he couldn't help it. Today, he felt particularly fragile beside the stronger man. "I…um..ah…," he stuttered. He swallowed and tried again. "Thank you for saving me, Opium!"

He blurted it out so quickly it took a while for Arthur to comprehend and once he did, his face flushed into a deep shade of red. "I-It's n-not like I did it for you," he stuttered slowly as if his mind was computing the possible ways to lie. "I-I'm a gentlem-" he continued but Mei cut him off. "Kya-! You two are so cute!" Before either man had a chance to refute, Kiku announced, "Tsundere x tsundere is a godsend from heaven." As he said this, his hands reached into his kimono and brought forth a camera. Beside him Kaoru added, "Seriously." Yong Soo made a jump in Yao's direction while exclaiming "Aniki's breasts are mine!" but Mei high-kicked him and sent him away. She turned towards Arthur. "Stay for dinner, Mr. England. I'm sure Sensei would love to cook a thank you dinner for you."

Upon hearing the offer, Yao opened his mouth but Kiku stepped into his field of vision. "ni-ni…" The two eyes were still expressionless but the two syllables were already enough. Yao gave an exasperated sigh. "Oh alright –aru" He looked over at Arthur. Kaoru was beside him, similar to the way Kiku was. He heard the last part of their conversation. "Do it, Arthur. Be a man, seriously." They turned towards Yao's direction. Arthur gave him a nod and Yao returned it. His siblings and students cheered and ushered them into the house. They made it as far as the living room before Yao shrugged them off to walk on his own. As he headed towards the kitchen, Yao could help but feel a little bit of joy and excitement. Just a little bit.

* * *

Footnotes

* Marry me. Marry me. Marry me.

End of chapter 13

Wrap up chapter and pure Iggychu shipping. I think I threw in all the fandom stuff that were missing from my other chapters XD So, do you feel happy for Yao and Arthur~? You should you should! And Kiku is right~ Tsundere x tsundere makes me go hnnnnnnghhh~! =w= I think without any interference they can just stand there and stutter all day. D'awwww

The invisible helper of Belarus was Old Man Winter. Whoever got that gets a cookie! He was the invisible wind that helped her float and knocked things away from her ;)

Don't run yet. There's still an epilogue coming~ Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story.

To Emmy: *cookies* Good job ^^b

To 8-bit: *cookies* I hope this is considered worth it to you :D

To lynnly: Ukraine, huh…that's not too far fetched^^ Aw, don't be sad. Be excited for the next story~ ;)

* * *

Kholodno

They made the mistake of entering the conference room together. It couldn't be helped. It was also England's fault. He was the one who had asked China out for tea before the meeting. It took him twelve days before he had gathered up the courage to ask Yao after the thank you dinner. Yao had counted. After tea they had arrived at the meeting place together.

As soon as they had stepped into the room, no the building, there were already people giving them more attention than usual. For example, at the building's entrance Spain suddenly paused in his conversation with Romano to talk to them. Spain never did that before. He always gave the Italian his full attention, while the other, being tsundere, would just ignore him or give him a few insults, but today was different.

"Break a leg, you two! It's a wonderful time to be in love. It's always a _fantástico time to be in love!" China remembered him saying. He didn't know what warranted the unusual behavior back then so he and England had continued walking while staring at the Spaniard declaring the greatness of love. Now that he thought about it, even Romano gave them an unusually long glance and the man rarely looked at anything longer than a tomato._

_In the hallway, Sweden and Finland, who were relaxing on a sofa, had given them a nod of approval and a smile. Probably trying to be polite, England had nodded back at the man who was normally marked by inaction. That had earned a happier smile on Finland and a slight one on Sweden. China and England were quite confused but they didn't ask any questions and had continued moving._

The moment they pushed open the door to the conference room, or rather Arthur, being the gentleman, held the door while Yao walked in, the regular clamor of the minutes before conference died. There was complete silence, then everyone started speaking to them at the same time.

"Is it true that you're together?"

"Is it true that you're back together?"

"Wait, they have BEEN together?"

The chaos of interlapping questions continued as England and China stared on in bewilderment until Germany made the loudest boom on the conference table yet. "Quiet down, all of you!" He slammed his hand down a few times threateningly. "You can't make conclusions about other people without evidence." Nobody spoke. Yao breathed a sigh of relief. All the attention he was getting was unnerving. He needed to thank Germany later, however, just as he thought that, a voice from the corner of the room cut through the temporary silence.

"I like saw blondie carrying China on his unicorn. They were totally flying through my backyard."

"Yeah! I saw that too!" Belgium stood up and backed Poland's observation.

"Actually, we all did," Lithuania added uncertainly, as if he felt conflicted over whether he should or should not say what he said, however he did and that earned many nods of agreement among the Europeans. Then Hungary clasped her hands and said, "And he was unconscious~!"

"They looked like a prince carrying his princess on a white horse," Liechtenstein added shyly with a blush. Her brother nodded strongly, though it was not sure if he was nodding because he agreed or he was only supporting his sister. But it was unnecessary because soon after, Taiwan ran to her side and held her hands as she cheered, "Right~?"

Yao felt like fainting at that point. Arthur looked like he was in a no better position. America had also appeared beside him and seemed to be poking fun at his brother. Germany slammed down his hand again, this time though a lot weaker sounding. "Concrete evidence. We need concrete evidence people!"

There was silence once again, but once again someone spoke. "If you need evidence then, he is wearing his shield," Norway said. Norway rarely spoke at conferences so when he did, everybody gave him the utmost attention. They followed his every word. They followed his eyes as he looked to China when he said the 'he' then at England when he said the 'his'. Many people looked confused but before anyone asked, Belarus suddenly exclaimed in the sweetest voice they have ever heard from the girl.

"Look, brother! They are sharing his sorcery. Let me share mine with you too~!" Immediately after saying that, she wrapped two arms around Russia's neck and proceeded trying to kiss him as he fought back frantically. After that, the conference sank into chaos. A chaos too much for Germany to handle. A chaos too overwhelming for Yao and a chaos that seemed to shock Arthur. Though, he didn't know it yet. It will be a chaos he will happily sink into with the love of his life.

* * *

The End

Yay! I ended the story~ I hope the last lines weren't too cheesy. I wrote all that I needed to write so I saw the opportunity to wrap this and took it ;)

Thank you to all of you for reading through these 14 chapters with me. I enjoyed writing this a lot and hope you enjoyed the story too! I'm happy to say this story opened me to writing long stories so I will happily announce here my new fic~ Here is the main idea and a list of characters. Of course this will be another Iggychu~

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**Title: Buri-ten to Chu-pid **

Buri-ten is the Japanese name for the Britannia Angel.

Chu-pid is my creation of combining 'Chu' which is the first part of 'China' in Japanese and Cupid.

The 'to' means 'and' in Japanese but I like to use it as a double meaning so it can be like Buri-ten "sending his love" to Chu-pid XD

**Plot:** Shinatty, the Charlie of the heavens, sends out his Angels to better the lives of people living in the human world. The Angels are a mysterious bunch and cannot be seen by those who benefit from their services but they still happily perform their tasks each day. These are Shinatty's Angels.

(England) **Buri-ten** – the Angel of Miracles – He is considered the most powerful of the Angels. He can create the impossible with a flick of his star shaped wand. He also has a fixation on bullying Chu-pid

(China) **Chu-pid** – the Angel of Love – He can make two fall in love with a shot of his arrows. Is the disgruntled recipient of Buri-ten's bullying

(Poland) **Po-Po** – the Angel of Whim – He can make one drop his obligations and follow his whim

(Lithuania) **Liet** – the Angel of Practicality – He can make one drop his whim and follow his obligations

(Finland) **Fin **– the Angel of Creativity – Let him knock the creative bug into you!

(Sweden) **Su **– the Angel of Industry – Let him knock the worker bee out of you!

(Italy) **Italiangel** aka Ita-chan – the Angel of Friendship – He can make two become friends with a shot of his arrows. Is best friends with Chu-pid.

(Germany) **Germaniel** – the Angel of Virtue – He can hammer the virtue into one with his steel mallet

Haha, I forgot to mention this will be AU, but that should've been obvious. I doubt I'll have time to start this till summer. Like Kholodno, the whole thing has been planned out. It should be a matter of finding time to write them. In the meantime, why don't you check out the artwork for Buri-ten and Chu-pid. It's our current background at kouchagumi, but I'm changing that soon. Go look at it before mid-May ;) And just for the fun of it, give me suggestions on what weapons Po-Po, Liet, Fin, and Su should use~


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